Printing and slitting machine



Feb. 27, 1934. A E. F, MQONE 1,948,590

PRINTING AND SLITTIIiG-MACHINE Filed Feb. 29 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 cw ZZZZV ,1 42? p w Feb. 27, 1934. A. F. MOONE PRINTING AND SLI'I'TING MACHINE Filed Feb. 29. 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Feb. 27, 1934 waste 1,948,590 PRINTING AND sLiT'rrNG MACHINE Albert E. F. Moons, Chicago, 111., assignor to The Lehon Company, a corporation of liilinois Application February 29, 1932. Serial No. 595,697

4 Claims.

In the manufacture of prepared roofing, it is customary to take a sheet of moisture proof felt, impregnate the same with asphaltic or other bituminous compounds and thereafter apply a layer of grit, slate or the like to its upper surface to give the roofing appropriate wearing qualities. During the various steps involved, the sheet is passed over a number of cooling sections and driers as may be necessary.

After a sheet of roofing has been so prepared, it may be desirable to print a particular design upon its wearing surface and to. slit the sheet lengthwise along one of the pattern lines. Ordinarily, this is accomplished by passing the sheet between co-operating rollers bearing suitable printing and slitting elements on their surfaces which simultaneously print the design upon the sheet and slit it along the appropriate pattern line.

Heretofore, when a change of design was wanted, it has been necessary to shut down the entire apparatus involved in preparing the sheet in order that other rollers bearing the appropriate printing and cutting elements may be substituted for those already on the machine. This often consumed the greater part of an hour and resulted in the loss of a large amount of production.

Even more time was lost when the change required was from slit roofingof a given design to unslit roofing of the same or other design. In such cases, it was necessary to break the sheet and rethread it in an entirely different unit.

The present invention provides a 'machine which is capable of printing a plurality of standard patterns upon a sheet of roofing with a mini,- mum loss of time in changing from one pattern to another; that either does or does not slit the roofing along a central pattern line, as desired; that provides means for using the printing cylinders or cutting cylinders conjointly or independently of each other; thatprovides an additional cooling surface for the coated sheet; that is comparatively inexpensive to manufacture, economical to operate, and conserves space in the plant.

Further and other objects and advantages will become apparent as the description proceeds and the disclosure is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is an elevational view of the preferred form of the invention;

Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are diagrammatic views illus- 5 trating the three patterns, respectively, which (01. ion-22s) may be produced on the particular machine shown in Fig. l; and

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5--5 of Fig. 1, showing the relationship of the machine to the'adjacent units of the roofing apparatus.

But this specific illustration and the correspondingly specific description are for the purpose of disclosure only, for it is realized that the invention may be embodied in various forms within the scope of the appended claims.

In the embodiment of the invention chosen as an illustration, three standard designs, commonly known in the trade as diamond-point (Fig. 2'), hex-point (Fig. 3) and brick siding (Fig. 4) are adapted to be applied to the roofing sheet as desired. These patterns may be printed on the sheet with or without a slit along the center lines of the patterns.

The machine itself comprises a pair of massive side frames 10 and 11 having a relatively large anvil roll 12 rotatably mounted in journal blocks 13 adapted to rest in pockets 14 provided in the side frames. After the anvil roll is mounted on the frames, the blocks are locked in position by a bolt 15 in threaded engagement with a cross member 16. v

The roofing sheet 1'? which has already been impregnated with asphalt and received a protecting coat of crushed slate, is snubbed about pulleys 18, 19, and 21, the latter being in running contact with the anvil roll. The sheet is then passed under the anvil roll and emerges from the top of the machine after receiving an appropriate design in the machine. Thereafter, a coating of grit is applied to the upper face of the sheet from a grit hopper 22 and thesheet then passes over the usual cooling drums 23.

A plurality of cutting cylinders 24, 25 and 26 each adapted to slit or cut the roofing sheet along different predetermined lines are mounted between the side frames parallel to the anvil roll and adjacent its periphery. These cylinders comprise shafts Z'Tjournalled in bearing blocks 28 which are adapted to be moved to and from the anvil roll in cross heads 29. The moving of the cylinders toward the roll is accomplished by providing operating shafts 30 suitably journalled in bearings 31 and carrying worms 32 adapted to engage worm gears 33 which are in threaded engagement with stems 34 abutting the outer faces of the journal blocks. The worm gears 33 are confined on the stems 34 between brackets 35 and 36 whereby clockwise rotation of the operating shafts will cause the journal blocks at each end of the associated cylinder to be advanced toward the anvil roll. Upon opposite rotation of the shafts, the springs 37 will carry the cylinders away from the anvil roll. Hand wheels 38 are conveniently provided on the operating shafts.

The anvil roll is driven by any suitable means, such for example as the pinion gear 39 meshing with a gear 40 keyed to the shaft 41 of the anvil roll and being of the same diameter as the anvil roll. The cutting cylinders 24, 25 and 26 are provided with gears 42, 43 and 44, respectively, of the same diameter as the cylinders, which are adapted to intermesh with the gear 40 of the anvil roll when the cylinders are in operative position against the anvil roll.

Referring to Figs. 1-4 inclusive, it will be seen that the cutting cylinders are each provided with an enlarged central hub 45 bearing cutting blades 46a, 46b and 460, respectively. The blade 46a slits or cuts (depending upon the adjustment) along the center line 47a of the brick siding pattern, the blade 461) following the tortuous center line 47a of the hex-point pattern, and the blade 48c making its mark along the zigzag line 470 of the diamond-point pattern.

A plurality of printing cylinders 48, 49 and 50 are. mounted beneath the anvil roll in adjustable bearing blocks 51 similar in all respects to those described above. Separate operating shafts 52, 53 and 54 are provided with worm gear attachments for moving the printing cylinders into and out of engagement with the anvil roll. The cylinders are also provided with gears 55, 56 and 5'7 which mesh with the anvil roll gear 40 when the cylinders are in contact with the periphery of the anvil roll.

The printing cylinders comprise tube-like members 58 bearing suitable printing bars 59 on their peripheries for impressing the designs on the roofing sheet. As will be seen in Figs. 2, 3 and 4, the cylinder 50 carries the diamond-point pattern, the cylinder 49 carries the hex-point patterns, and the cylinder 48, the brick siding pattern.

Beneath the printing rolls is a tank 60 divided into a plurality of compartments of which one is associated with each cylinder. The severalunits of the tank are filled with suitable asphaltic coloring material to a level which immerses the lower portions of the cylinders. In this way, the printing bars are always coated with printing material.

Each unit of the tank 60 is provided with a heating element 61 for maintaining the material contained therein at appropriate temperature.

7 From the above description, it will be seen that the sheet 17 in passing around the anvil roll may be slit or out along any one of three center lines or may receive any one of the three design patterns, or may be printed with any one of the three patterns and slit or out along the center line of that pattern. For example, if it is desired to slit the roofing along the serrated line shown in Fig. 3 without printing the hexpoint pattern on the sheet, all the printing and cutting rollers may be withdrawn from the anvil roll except the cylinder 25.

On the other hand, if a hex-point pattern is desired without the slitting, all the cylinders with the exception of cylinder 49 are withdrawn from the roll. If the order calls for slit hex-point roofing, only cylinders 25 and 49 are brought into engagement with the anvil roll, it being, of course, necessary that the gear 56 of the printing cylinder 49 be made to so mesh with the gear 40 that the pattern will be applied directly over the slit (see Fig. 3). By arranging the printing and slitting rollers around the periphery of a platen or anvil roll, there is no danger of slippage which might cause the slit to fail to register with the pattern. Furthermore, the large surface of the anvil roll is effective in cooling the roofing sheet and dispenses with one or more cylinders in the cooling section.

The invention is in no way limited to the use of any particular design or pattern, and it is apparent that as many printing and cutting cylinders may be arranged around the periphery of the roll as the size of the roll permits.

What I claim, therefore, is:

1. In a machine of the class described, a pair of side frames, an anvil roll journalled in the frames, a plurality of cutting cylinders mounted parallel to the anvil roll and adjacent its periphery, a like number of printing cylinders also mounted parallel to the anvil roll and adjacent its periphery, and means for separately moving each of said cutting and printing cylinders into engagement with the periphery of the roll.

2. In a machine adapted to print a plurality of patterns on a roofing sheet and/or slit the sheet longitudinally along a predescribed line, the combination of an anvil roll over which the sheet is looped, a plurality of cutting cylinders arranged adjacent the periphery of the roll, a plurality of printing cylinders also arranged adjacent the periphery of the roll, and means for independently moving each of said cylinders to and from engagement with the roll.

3. In a machine of the class described, a pair of side frames, an anvil roll journalled in the frames, a plurality of cutting cylinders mounted parallel to the anvil roll and adjacent its periphery, a like number of printing cylinders also mounted parallel to the anvil roll and adjacent its periphery, said cylinders being journalled in blocks slidably mounted in crossheads, and means for simultaneously moving the journal blocks of anyone cylinder toward or away from the anvil roll.

4. In a machine of the class described, a pair of side frames, an anvil roll journalled in the frames, a plurality of cutting cylinders mounted parallel to the anvil roll and adjacent its periphery, a plurality of printing cylinders also mounted parallel to the anvil roll and adjacent its, periphery, said cylinders being so arranged that any one of the printing cylinders may be used conjointly with some specified one of the cutting cylinders without interference from the remaining cylinders.

ALBERT E. F. MOONE. 

